For Our People Docuseries
Narrative Infrastructure for Scalable Social Impact: Solutioning via Sovereignty
For Our People | Spring 2026 Feature
Tlingit & Haida: Guardians of the Glacier
For thousands of years, the Tlingit people have lived in relationship with the glaciers of Southeast Alaska, and today that relationship is being protected through active tribal self-governance. At the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, the Tlingit & Haida Tribe exercises its inherent sovereignty through government-to-government agreements, leading a co-stewardship partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and asserting authority to manage, interpret, and protect their homelands.
As the glacier rapidly recedes and climate impacts intensify, tribal self-governance enables real-time leadership, from cultural education and land stewardship to frontline flood response, demonstrating that Indigenous governance is not symbolic, but operational, effective, and essential to the future of both the land and the community.
About For Our People
For Our People is a national docuseries and strategic storytelling platform that reframes self-governance through a strengths-based lens. Each episode documents Tribal Self-Governance in action, highlighting innovation, leadership, and measurable results across Indian Country.
When these successes go unnoticed, opportunities for partnership and investment are lost. Closing this gap requires more than better storytelling; it means making Tribal-led solutions visible to attract the support needed for greater impact.
To help close this gap, TSG produces the For Our People docuseries to showcase Tribal innovation and leadership, shift public understanding, influence funding and policy, strengthen Tribal advocacy, and accelerate peer learning across Tribal communities.
Watch some of our most recent series releases from 2025 including episodes on addressing food security at the local level, connecting youth with support to thrive, and relocating communities to safety.
Interested in learning more?
Visit the Tribal Self-Governance Youtube Channel to watch all For Our People episodes, the Shell it Like It Is Podcast, and more.
Contact TSG Executive Director Jay Spaan at JayS@tribalselfgov.org for more information to get your Tribal Self-Governance story told!
